Freshman Sofia Selle reacts after a point by graduate student Elizaveta Mladentseva during a match against Collin College on April 7 at the UTA Tennis Center. Selle and Mladentseva won their doubles match 6-2.
UTA women’s tennis (6-13) closed out its regular season with a 6-1 win over Collin College (6-12) Tuesday at the UTA Tennis Center.
“It’s been such a joy to see how they come up,” head coach Diego Benitez said. “They have all come together like a team, and then just got to know each other and understand what it is to play for UTA and what it means to be a Maverick, and all that took a lot of time.”
The game was Senior Day, and the team honored graduate student Elizaveta Mladentseva, its lone senior. Mladentseva said she will finish her time at UTA over the summer, wrapping up her master’s program and looking for an internship once she walks the stage.
Freshmen Tasnime Ahamout and Natalia Gonzalez pair up during a match against Collin College on April 7 at the UTA Tennis Center. Ahamout and Gonzalez won their doubles match 6-2.
“I know that they look up to me, and I just want to be a good example for them,” Mladentseva said. “Since I played college tennis for five years, I have a lot of experience to share, so it’s always nice to be helpful.”
In doubles, UTA took an early lead on two of the three courts. The duo of Mladentseva and freshman Sofia Selle raked in the first set win of the day, taking an early four-point lead and shutting down a late Cougar rally to win their match 6-2.
Freshman duo Tasnime Ahamout and Natalia Gonzalez secured UTA’s doubles point, also winning 6-2 in their match. Meanwhile, freshmen Diana Kaibara and Flora Farkaslaki struggled, but held out and left the match unfinished after taking the game to extra points.
Freshman Sofia Selle swings at the ball during a match against Collin College on April 7 at the UTA Tennis Center. Selle won her singles match 2-0.
UTA entered singles play swinging off their momentum, taking early leads across the board. Ahamout’s rhythm was unmatched, taking straight sets in her bout before most others had even started the second set.
“I have a tactic because she was just putting the ball in, but to win those kind of game, I have to go to the net, so I finish it pretty early,” Ahamout said.
Three other Mavericks followed with straight sets to lock in the UTA win. Sophomore Vanja Cado and Selle then played out the final game on home court for the season, with Selle digging deep and finding a late 7-5 set win to complete a fourth Maverick straight set win.
The women’s tennis team chants before a match against Collin College on April 7 at the UTA Tennis Center. UTA won 6-1.
The team sets its sights on the postseason, heading into the 2026 Western Athletic Conference championship starting April 17 at the Arlington Tennis Center. UTA will be one of four teams entering the conference brawl.
“We’re going to continue spending a lot of time in doubles,” Benitez said. “I’m happy with their partners that we have right now, with the pairings, so just narrow down a few details and make sure that we’re familiar with the different place that we execute.”
@kaleivie_